13/08/2026
Stewart Swan’s latest series ‘Taps Aff’ marks a looser and more instinctive departure from his previous body of work. Working directly onto aged antique paper, without preparatory drawings or fixed compositions, Swan allows each painting to develop through energetic mark-making, revision and chance. The character of the paper becomes an integral part of the work, its worn and weathered surface providing a textured ground for figures to emerge, shift and disappear.
‘Taps Aff’ is a playful reference to the Glaswegian phrase, describing the moment when the sun appears and shirts are promptly abandoned, regardless of the temperature. Every figure is topless, a nod to this phenomenon. Rather than belonging to a particular narrative or mythology, these figures exist somewhere between instinct and invention, brought together through gesture, colour and personality.
For more information on these new works, send us a message.